Systems and methods for legal research navigation

ABSTRACT

Computer systems and corresponding methods are provided for computer assisted research in a network are provided that generate interface screens that include a map view of a plurality of selectable objects disposed in a nuclear arrangement in segmented rings about a first level object. The computing device is configured to receive selections of the displayed objects and expand the display to include additional segmented levels all surrounding the first level object.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/528,303 filed on Nov. 17, 2021, entitled “Systems and Methods forLegal Research Navigation,” which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 63/114,795 filed on Nov. 17, 2020, entitled“Systems and Methods for Legal Research Navigation,” the disclosures ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of this patent document contains material subject to copyrightprotection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimilereproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure,as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files orrecords, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates to systems and methods for legal andother types of computer-assisted research, and more particularlyinterface screens generated therewith that facilitate the discovery ofrelevant documents from a collection of documents in a computer networkenvironment.

General and specialty computer research platforms are known. Westlaw®,for example, is an online legal research service and proprietarydatabase legal professionals, which includes more than 40,000 databasesof case law, state and federal statutes, administrative codes, newspaperand magazine articles, public records, law journals, law reviews,treatises, legal forms, and other information resources. Research insuch a vast collection of documents can be a daunting, if not animpossible task absent appropriate controls. Westlaw®, for example,provides several ways for users to navigate through this collection forusers to locate relevant content. For example, the platform provides asearch interface that allows users to enter terms for a natural languageor Boolean queries, and to further refine the search results, forexample, by content type, such as cases, statutes, secondary sources,key numbers, etc. A high level search, however, can return well over100,000 documents in over 15 content types. Another approach is forusers to search using the hierarchical West Key Number System taxonomy.Westlaw's® Practical Law service provides categorized resources based onpractice areas, which provide up-to-date checklists, overview of legaltopics, etc. These “flat” lists, however, do not allow users to easilyexplore beyond that which is displayed on the list. Moreover, even in“list” form, the results may contain thousands of objects that can stillbe unwieldy to navigate.

Accordingly, there is a need for computer systems and correspondingmethods that provide a better human-machine interface with respect tonavigating collections of documents and other resources for legal andother types of computer-assisted research.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a method for computer assisted research in a networkenvironment is provided that includes receiving, by a computing device,a selection of a first level object from a plurality of first levelobjects; and causing to be displayed, by the computing device, inresponse to the selection of the first level object, an interface screenincludes the selected first level object and a plurality of second levelobjects related to the first object, the plurality of second levelobjects arranged in a segmented ring around the selected first levelobject.

In one embodiment, each of the second level objects are selectable, themethod further includes expanding, by the computing device, theinterface screen in response to a selection of a second level object toinclude a plurality of third level objects arranged in a segmented ringaround the first level object and around the segmented ring of secondlevel objects.

In one embodiment, the interface screen is infinitely scalable.

In one embodiment, each of the third level objects are selectable, themethod further includes expanding, by the computing device, theinterface screen in response to a selection of a second level object toinclude a plurality of fourth level objects arranged in a segmented ringaround the first level object and around the segmented rings of secondand third level objects.

In one embodiment, the segmented rings are implemented in a circulardesign with the segmented rings of the second and third level objectsarranged concentrically about the first level object.

In one embodiment, the objects each relate to a knowledge resource.

In one embodiment, the segmented ring includes a plurality of segmentseach relating to a different type of resource.

In one embodiment, the plurality of segments relate to at least twotypes of resources selected from a group consisting of topics, practicenotes, standard documents, checklists, articles, and toolkits.

In one embodiment, each of the second level objects are selectable, theinterface includes a form element for users to enter query terms and aquery results window, the method further includes expanding, by thecomputing device, the interface screen in response to a selection of asecond level object to include a plurality of third level objectsarranged in a segmented ring around the first level object and aroundthe segmented ring of second level objects, and retrieving, by thecomputing device, search results based on query terms and displaying thesearch results in the query result window.

In one embodiment, the search results related to the first, second, andthird level objects.

In one embodiment, each of the second level objects are selectable, themethod further includes expanding, by the computing device, theinterface screen in response to a selection of a second level object toinclude a plurality of third level objects arranged in a segmented ringaround the first level object and around the segmented ring of secondlevel objects, and zooming in in the interface screen so that theentirety of the selected second level object and the segmented ringassociated with the third level objects.

In one embodiment, each of the second level objects are selectable, themethod further includes expanding, by the computing device, theinterface screen in response to a selection of a second level object toinclude a plurality of third level objects arranged in a segmented ringaround the first level object and around the segmented ring of secondlevel objects, and displaying a segment associated with the selectedsecond level object and the segmented ring associated with the thirdlevel objects in a contrasting color to indicate navigation path.

In one embodiment, each of the second level objects are selectable, themethod further includes expanding, by the computing device, theinterface screen in response to a selection of a second level object toinclude a plurality of third level objects arranged in a segmented ringaround the first level object and around the segmented ring of secondlevel objects, and displaying content associated with the selectedsecond level object.

In one embodiment, the content associated with the selected second levelobject includes at least one link to an object displayed on theinterface screen, the method further includes receiving a selection ofthe at least one link, navigating to the object associated with at leastone link, and displaying content associated with the selected link.

In one embodiment, the method includes refocusing the interface screenonto the object associated with at least one link.

In one embodiment, each of the second level objects are selectable, themethod further includes expanding, by the computing device, theinterface screen in response to a selection of a second level object toinclude a plurality of third level objects arranged in a segmented ringaround the first level object and around the segmented ring of secondlevel objects, and wherein the second level objects and the third levelobjects share at least one object in common.

In one embodiment, each of the second level objects are selectable, themethod further includes expanding, by the computing device, theinterface screen in response to a selection of a second level object toinclude a plurality of third level objects arranged in a segmented ringaround the first level object and around the segmented ring of secondlevel objects, and wherein the segmented ring around the second levelobjects and the third level objects each include a plurality of segmentsrelating to a resource type and wherein at least one of the plurality ofsegments associated with the second level objects and at least one ofthe plurality of segments associated with the third level objects shareat a resource type in common.

Additional aspects of the present invention will be apparent in view ofthe description which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 a block diagram of a system for the computer assisted researchaccording to at least one embodiment of the systems disclosed herein.

FIGS. 2-11 are various embodiments of graphic interface screensgenerated by the systems and methods disclosed herein.

FIG. 12 a block diagram of a method for the computer assisted researchaccording to at least one embodiment of the methods disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present application provides computer systems and correspondingmethods that overcome one or more of the limitations associated withprior computer-assisted research systems. That is, the systems hereinprovide one or more interface screens that present related resourcesgraphically in a manner that improves the human-machine interface, suchthat computer-assisted research is made easier, more efficient, and/ormore reliable than existing technology. The interface beneficiallydepicts relationships between objects that may not be apparent or mayhave been missed with other systems, therewith providing a more completepicture of the matter and the issues for the user.

More specifically, systems, methods, and interface screens generatedtherewith are provided that facilitate exploration of single-to-multipleobject connections. Preferably, the interface screen presents resourcesin a circular, nuclear design from which additional segments can beexpanded for users to explore additional connections related to thepreceding object. Preferably, the interface when executed providesresources discoverable in an expanding segment branching method as anavigable, single page experience. This presentation of resource objectsenables multiple levels of connections to be discovered in a scalablemodel, as discussed in greater detail below, allowing users to discovera larger set of and deeper connections that would otherwise not beavailable in a “flat” list or lists. Although the systems may bediscussed herein in relation to knowledge management systems, such asWestlaw's® Practical Law Service, it is understood that the conceptsdisclosed herein are equally usable for navigating objects in othercontexts, including without limitation social media platforms and otherinformation publishing systems.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary computer system configured to provide thefunctionality disclosed herein, including generating one or variousinterface screens for legal and other types of research. In oneembodiment, the system 100 includes one or more servers 102, coupled toone or a plurality of databases 104, such as primary materials databases106, secondary materials databases 108, resource databases 110, etc., aswell as metadata associated with this material and user accountinformation. The servers 102 may further be coupled over a communicationnetwork 114 to one or more client devices 112. Moreover, the servers 102may be communicatively coupled to each other directly or via thecommunication network 114.

The primary materials databases 106, in the exemplary embodiment,include a case law database(s) and a statutes database(s), whichrespectively include judicial opinions and statutes from one or morelocal, state, federal, and/or international jurisdictions. Secondarydatabases 108, contain legal documents of secondary legal authority,such as an ALR (American Law Reports) database, an AMJUR database, aWest Key Number (KNUM) Classification database, and a law review (LREV)database. Resource database(s) 110 may include practice resources, suchas practice notes, articles or other publications, standard documents,checklists, toolkits, etc. The various databases may be related withmetadata, such as with one or more hierarchical taxonomies, tags orlabels, case law and statutory citation relationships, quotation data,headnote assignment data, etc. The user account information may storenavigation history, allowing users to return to searches and/or retrieveobjects as desired.

The servers 102 may vary widely in configuration or capabilities, butare preferably special-purpose digital computing devices that include atleast one or more central processing units 116 and computer memory 118.The server(s) 102 may also include one or more of mass storage devices,power supplies, wired or wireless network interfaces, input/outputinterfaces, and operating systems, such as Windows Server, Unix, Linux,or the like. In an example embodiment, server(s) 102 include or haveaccess to computer memory 118 storing instructions or applications 120for the performance of the various functions and processes disclosedherein, including causing the interface screen or screens discussedherein to be displayed at the client device(s) 112. The servers 102 mayfurther include one or more search engines and a related interfacecomponent, for receiving and processing queries and presenting theresults thereof to users accessing the service via client devices 112.The interface components generate web-based user interfaces, such as asearch interface with form elements for receiving queries, a resultswindow for displaying the results of the queries, as well as variousinterfaces or windows with selectable elements therein for navigatingthe objects that are the result of the queries and/or resource objectsgenerally, as discussed below.

The computer memory may be any tangible computer readable medium,including random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), aremovable storage unit (e.g., a magnetic or optical disc, flash memorydevice, or the like), a hard disk, or etc.

The client devices 112 may include a personal computer, workstation,personal digital assistant, mobile telephone, or any other devicecapable of providing an effective user interface based on content servedby the server and/or database. Specifically, client device 112 includesone or more processors, a memory, a display, a keyboard, a graphicalpointer or selector, etc. The client device memory preferably includes abrowser application for displaying interfaces generated by the servers102. The interface screens may be generated by the servers 102 fordisplay at the client device(s) 112 with code, such as JavaScript, tothe client device(s) 112 that enables asynchronous exchange ofinformation with the servers 102 for the single interface experiencenoted above. That is, information displayed on the screen may be updatedwithout needing to refresh the page, including updating the interfacewith respect to expanding object connections in response to userselection of any given object.

Referring to FIG. 2 , an exemplary knowledge management system landingpage 200 is shown. Westlaw's® Practical Law home page, for example,includes a window 202 with navigable elements, such as hyperlinks,buttons, etc., therein for users to navigate the various resourcesmaintained by the system. The service may require user credentials foraccess and the credentials may be used to track user interaction withthe system, including logging clicks, downloads, etc., for the user toreturn to previous research activity.

Practical Law resources are maintained by topic or practice area,sectors, resource types, jurisdictions, etc. In this regard, users maydrill down to the desired resource from any one of these categories. Forexample, these categories may be provided in the navigation window 202in the form of selectable tabs, as shown, that allow users to drill downeach of the tab categories to identify the desired resources. That is, auser may begin with a first level in the hierarchy, e.g. “PracticeArea”, and drill down to a second level, e.g., “Antitrust” practicearea, to a third level, e.g., “compliance”, etc., until a list ofresources are presented for user consumption. For example, a selectablelist of resources sorted by type, such as practice notes, standarddocuments, checklists, articles, etc. related to the selected categoriesmay be presented to the user. Similarly, the user may instead elect tostart with “Resourced Types” as the first navigation level, followed by“Practice Notes”, “Practice Area”, “Antitrust”, etc. to reach the sameresource. The landing page 200 may further include form elements forusers to enter terms for a query, such as a text box 204, search button206, drop down menu 208, etc. In this regard, users are able to searchthe content maintained by the system using keywords. Preferably, thesystem provides a selectable icon 210 for users to access certainresearch tools.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4A-B, when the tools icon 210 is selected, thetools window 302 may be presented that includes therein one or moreselectable icons, such as a “knowledge map” icon as shown. The knowledgemap icon when selected causes a landing screen 400 to be displayed thatallows users to navigate resource objects visually, as discussed furtherbelow. The knowledge map interface screen 400 preferably includes formelements for a query, as discussed above, such as a text box 404, dropdown list 408, button 406, etc. In this landing page, the user ispresented with the option via a clickable icon or area 402 to return tothe previous session or initiate a new session via the query elements404-408. For example, a user may enter the search terms “3D Printing” inthe text box 404, which will result in an overlay window 410 thatincludes a list of first level objects related to the query terms, suchas “3D Printing: Overview”, etc., as shown in FIG. 4B

Referring to FIG. 5 , a knowledge map interface screen is shown, whichincludes a map window 502 with the selected first level object “3dPrinting: Overview” 506 presented centrally in a nuclear design with aplurality of second level objects 520, in a segmented ring 508-518(collectively the second level segments) around the first level object506. The segments preferably correspond to one of a plurality ofresource types, such as topics 508, practice notes 510, standarddocuments 512, checklists 514, articles 516, and toolkits 518.

The map view preferably zooms into in the window 502 so that users canview the entirety of the first level object 506, and the second levelsegments and objects therein. Users are preferably provided with thecapability of panning (dragging) and zooming in and out of the map. Theknowledge map interface screen preferably includes a content viewerwindow 504, which displays the content associated with the selectedresource object. In this instance, the selection of the “3d Printing:Overview” object results in the display of the associated content underthat heading 522, which content may include a selectable table ofcontent (TOC) 524 and other navigable elements therein, such ashyperlinks. The color or shading of the objects and/or segmentsdisplayed on the map may be coordinated to provide a visual indicationof the user's navigation path. For example, a light color or hue may beused to indicate which of the objects or segmented rings are in focus,whereas a contrasting darker color or hue may indicate that the item hasnot been selected and thus not in focus. Visual cues may also be used toindicate objects that were previously visited, such as with a thirdcontrasting color object. In FIG. 5 , the lighter object 506 indicatesthat that resource object is in focus, whereas the darker second levelsegments indicates that those items are not selected or in focus. The“articles” object is shown in a darker color to indicate that the givenarticle was previously viewed. Each of the second level objects 520 arepreferably selectable to expand the map beyond the second levelsegments.

FIG. 6 shows the second level object articles 602 selected, which causesthe map view to expand to include a third level segmented ring 604, 606that includes objects therein related to the selected second levelobject 602. The second level segments may include resource types or evenresource objects that are common at multiple segment levels, such one ormore of topics 508, practice notes 510, standard documents 512,checklists 514, articles 516, and toolkits 518. As can be seen in thisinstance, the second and third level segments include topics andpractice notes in common. Moreover, the topic segments at both levelsinclude a General IP object. This arrangement of the objects allowsusers to observe connections with respect to single-multiple connectionobjects that would not be apparent with hierarchical navigation. As withthe first level object, the content window may display the contentassociated with the selected second level object, in this case anarticle with TOC 610 relating to 3D printing 608. When the selectedobject includes a plurality of content items, a list of the contentitems may be presented in the content window 504 that allows the user toselect and view the content items in the same or a separate window.

As can be seen, the map view depicts the first object in a dark color,indicating that the content item associated therewith has been viewedpreviously by the user and the second object 602 in a lighter colorindicating that the second object 602 is in focus. Moreover, the thirdlevel segments are in a lighter color as well indicating similarly thatthis second-third level segment path is in focus. In this instance, thethird level only includes objects associated with two segments, i.e.,for topics 602 and practice notes 604, and the third level segment istherefore presented as a semicircular band. Preferably, selecting anobject 602 automatically recenters and/or resets the zoom of theexpanded map to display at least the selected object 602 and the nextlevel segments, as shown.

FIG. 7 shows a third level object 702 selected and the map expanded toinclude fourth level segments 704-712. The map is preferably infinitelyscalable, and the segmented rings are preferably concentrically locatedabout the first level object. The navigation path is similarly shown ina brighter color with the selected object and expanded fourth levelsegment in view. In this instance too, the fourth level segments includeresource types in common with the second and third level segments,including topics 704 and practice notes 712, and the trademark object incommon. FIG. 8 , for example, shows a map expanded to show ten levels ofsegments 806-820, with the segments that make up the navigation path 822in contrasting colors as discussed herein. The content window depictsthe content 804 associated with the selected tenth level object 802. Agiven content item may include therein links to other objects. Forexample, the selected object 802 content may include a link 824 toanother object, which if selected causes the map to refocus on theselected object link 824, as shown in FIG. 9 , with the associatedcontent 826 displayed in the content window. The selected object may bein the same or different segment levels as that of the object from whichthe navigation originates. In other words, link navigation may place thefocus on an object on the map in any direction.

Referring to FIG. 10 , as discussed herein, user navigation history maybe tracked for navigation to previously visited objects, segments, orentire maps. This may be achieved in a variety of ways. In oneembodiment, the interface screen includes a button or other form element1002 for users to retrieve navigation history. In response thereto, theinterface retrieves the user's history and displays a selectable list ofresources viewed 1004. Users can revisit the objects on the map byselecting any one of the listed items. The items on the list may alsoinclude a checkbox or other form element for the user to download 1010the items visited in a single or multiple actions.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the interface preferably enables users to searchcontent within a selected segment and/or object. For example, a searchwindow 1102 may be displayed which may include a text box 1104 or otherform elements for users to search content associated with the selectedobject 1106. As discussed above, an object may be associated with morethan one segment on the map. The search results may therefore be a nodeanywhere on the map and/or a link to a content item.

Referring to FIG. 12 , a method for computer assisted research may beginwith a user logging into the platform at 1202. In response to asuccessful login, the system may communicate to the user a first landingpage at 1204, such as the knowledge management system landing page shownin FIG. 2 . The first landing page provides various tools for users tonavigate the various resources maintained by the platform. Preferably,the system provides a selectable icon on the first landing page forusers to access certain research tools, including a knowledge map tool.The system, in response to a user selecting the knowledge map tool,communicates to the user a second landing screen at 1206, such as theknowledge map landing screens shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A-4B.

The knowledge map landing screen preferably includes therein formelements for users to display at the client device a map view ofresource objects associated with a first level object. As discussedabove, the first level object may be selected by the user returning to aprevious research session. Similarly, the user may initiate a newresearch session by selecting an object from a list presented to theuser by the system in response to a query. In either event, the clientdevice communicates to the system and the system receives from theclient device at 1208 a selection of a first level object. In response,the system communicates to the client device for display thereon a mapwindow that includes therein the selected first level object centrallylocated in the map window. The map window preferably displays the firstlevel object in a nuclear design with a plurality of second levelobjects disposed in a segmented ring surrounding the first level object,as shown in FIG. 5 . The segments preferably correspond to one of aplurality of resource types, such as topics, practice notes, standarddocuments, checklists, articles, and toolkits. As discussed above, themap interface includes code that configures the interface and thereforethe client device that executes the code to asynchronously communicateinformation back and forth between the system and client devices withoutthe need for refreshing the browser window at the client device.

The code preferably centers and/or resets the zoom with respect to themap elements in the map window so that users can observe the entirety ofthe first level object and the second level segments. The codepreferably also provides users with the capability of panning (dragging)and zooming in and out of the map view. The knowledge map interfacescreen preferably includes a content viewer window, which displays thecontent associated with the selected object. In this regard, the clientdevice retrieves from the system and the system communicates contentassociated with the selected object to the client device for displaythereon. In the example above, the selection of the “3d Printing:Overview” object results in the client device retrieving from the systemand displaying at the client device the content associated with theselected object. The color or shading of the objects and/or segmentsdisplayed on the map may be coordinated to provide a visual indicationof the user's navigation path. As such, the client side code may togglethe color of the displayed elements, including the resource object andone or more of the segments, to indicate the status of the item relativeto the navigation state of the map. For example, the code may, inresponse to the selection of a given item, change the color or hue ofthe item to indicate, for example, which of the objects or segmentedrings are in focus, which objects have been previously visited, etc.

Each of the second level objects are preferably selectable to expand themap beyond the second level segments. Accordingly, the system mayreceive from the client device at 1212 a selection of a second levelobject and in response to the user selection, the system may communicateto the client device at 1214 information for expanding the map toinclude third level segment ring with selectable third level objects inresponse thereto, as shown in FIG. 6 . The third level objects arerelated to the selected second level object, as discussed above. Thesecond level segments may similarly include segments that segregatethird level by resource type, such as one or more of topics, practicenotes, standard documents, checklists, articles, and toolkits. In oneembodiment, the second and third level segments include resource typesin common. In another embodiment, segments on two or more differentlevels include a common resource object. When the selected objectincludes a plurality of content items, a list of the content items maybe presented in the content window that allows the user to select andview the content items in the same or a separate window. As discussedabove, the client device automatically recenters and resets the zoom forthe expanded map to display at least the selected object and the nextlevel segments in view. The process of expanding the map in response toa selection of a given object item may be repeated at 1216 as shown inFIG. 7 until the user ends the session at 1218.

As discussed above in relation to FIG. 8 , the content items may includelinks for navigating to objects on the map in response to the userselection of a given link. As such, client side code may cause the mapview to refocus on the selected object link and expand the map viewaccordingly. The selected object may be in the same or different segmentlevels as that of the object from which the navigation originates. Inother words, link navigation may occur on the map in any direction. Userhistory may be tracked, in which instance the client device may navigateon the map to previously visited objects by selecting a link in theuser's navigation history.

While the foregoing invention has been described in some detail forpurposes of clarity and understanding, it will be appreciated by oneskilled in the art, from a reading of the disclosure, that variouschanges in form and detail can be made without departing from the truescope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for computer assisted research, comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a selection of a first level object from a plurality of first level objects; causing to be displayed, by the computing device, in response to the selection of the first level object, an interface screen comprising the selected first level object and a set of second level objects related to the first level object, the set of second level objects arranged in a first segmented ring around the selected first level object; expanding, by the computing device, the interface screen in response to a selection of at least one second level object in the set of second level objects to include a set of third level objects arranged in a second segmented ring around the first resource object and around the first segmented ring, the set of third level objects includes at least one common resource object and at least one mutually exclusive resource object with the set of second level objects; and causing to be displayed, by the computing device, a colored-shaded resource object visually indicating a user's focus.
 2. The method of claim 1, comprising: causing to be displayed, by the computing device, a search interface object restricted to search within the user's focus.
 3. The method of claim 1, comprising: causing to be displayed, by the computing device, a knowledge map landing screen providing a map view of the first level object, the set of second level objects and the set of third level objects; wherein the knowledge map landing screen is zoomable and pannable.
 4. The method of claim 3, comprising: causing to be displayed, by the computing device, the first level object, one or more objects from the set of second level objects and one or more objects from the set of third level objects, each of the one or more objects from the set of second level objects and the one or more objects from the set of third level objects highlighted to visually indicate a navigation path.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the visually indicated navigation path is presented with contrasting colors.
 6. The method of claim 5, comprising: causing to be displayed, by the computing device a content viewer window displaying a list of content items associated with a currently selected resource object.
 7. The method of claim 6, comprising: causing to be displayed, by the computing device in the content viewer window a selectable table of contents.
 8. The method of claim 7, comprising: selecting a content item within the selectable table of contents; and adjusting, by the computing device, the navigation path based, at least in part, on the selected content item.
 9. The method of claim 8, comprising: refocusing, the knowledge map landing screen based, at least in part, on the selected content item.
 10. The method of claim 9, comprising: providing multi-directional and multi-level navigation for content item selection presented in the knowledge map landing screen.
 11. The method of claim 3, comprising: tracking a user navigation history within the knowledge map landing screen.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein tracking the user navigation history includes logging selection of content items and downloads.
 13. The method of claim 11, comprising: causing to be displayed a visual indication of the tracked user navigation history illustrating a set of previously visited objects.
 14. The method of claim 6, wherein the first segmented ring comprises a plurality of segments each relating to a different type of resource, wherein the first set of resource objects are displayed in a first segment and the second set of resource objects are displayed in a second segment adjacent to the first segment.
 15. A system for computer assisted research, comprising: a computing device receiving a selection of a first level object from a plurality of first level objects; an interface screen displaying, in response to the selection of the first level object, the selected first level object and a set of second level objects related to the first level object, the set of second level objects arranged in a first segmented ring around the selected first level object; the interface screen expanding, in response to a selection of at least one second level object in the set of second level objects, to include a set of third level objects arranged in a second segmented ring around the first resource object and around the first segmented ring, the set of third level objects includes at least one common resource object and at least one mutually exclusive resource object with the set of second level objects; and the interface screen displaying a colored-shaded resource object visually indicating a user's focus.
 16. The system of claim 15, comprising: a search interface object, displaying on the interface screen, the search interface object restricting search within the user's focus.
 17. The system of claim 15, comprising: the interface screen displaying a knowledge map landing screen providing a map view of the first level object, the set of second level objects and the set of third level objects; wherein the knowledge map landing screen is zoomable and pannable.
 18. The system of claim 15, comprising: the interface screen displaying the first level object, one or more objects from the set of second level objects and one or more objects from the set of third level objects, each of the one or more objects from the set of second level objects and the one or more objects from the set of third level objects highlighted to visually indicate a navigation path.
 19. The system of claim 15, comprising: the interface screen providing multi-directional and multi-level navigation for content item selection presented in the knowledge map landing screen.
 20. The system of claim 15, comprising: the computing device tracking a user navigation history within the knowledge map landing screen. 